Twenty-four hours to the presidential and national assembly elections, the candidates of African Democratic Party (ADC), for Oyo Central Senatorial and Oluyole Federal Constituency, Senator Monsurat Sumonu and Hon Olusumbo Olugbemi respectively have got a boost as thousands of members of ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and others pledge their support for them in the coming election.
Others that pledged and promised to work for them including members Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), community leaders, religious leaders, market women and men, due to their performance during their first tenure in office.
They made the promise while holding a meeting with the Handshake Campaign Organisation’s Director for Public Communication, New-Media and Tertiary institutions, Engineer Akeem Olatunji, and other ADC leaders in Oluyole local government.
Speaking on behalf of the APC members the reason for their sudden support for Senator Monsurat and Hon Olugbemi, Alhaji Kasali Aderonmu said “7the APC candidate was unilaterally imposed by Governor Abiola Ajimobi without any input whatsoever from the leaders of the party at the federal constituency.
He stressed that Oluyole did not benefitted from the Senatorial candidate from APC during his reign as a Senator while that of Rep candidate, is not only a greenhorn in politics but not known at all in the local government.
While the leaders of the APC at the Oluyole Federal Constituency were fuming with anger over the imposition, opposition parties heaved a sigh of relief with the weak and unknown candidate threw up by the ruling party.
According to him, “the African Democratic Congress (ADC) is fielding the incumbent Member in the House of Representatives, Hon. Sumbo Olugbemi whose Oluyole has benefitted from him, likewise Senator Monsurat Sumonu.
“All those that matter in the party were bitter with the imposition of the woman.”
“This is the worst form of imposition I have ever witnessed in my life. I have been in politics since the times of Awolowo, this one is absurd. How can the governor just brought a lady, his cousin who was never part of us a month to the primaries and imposed her on us. The governor has finished our party. This is a rape of democracy. How do we start campaigning for somebody that everybody knows is not even from our local government? We have already failed.
“Looking at the antecedent of other contestants from other parties, we resolved to throw our support behind the incumbents, Senator Sumonu and Hon Olugbemi for their brilliant representation at both Red and Green Chambers.
“The ongoing road construction linking Olomi, Aiyegun, Olode and Latunde all in Oluyole local government in Ibadan to Ijebu-Igbo was facilitated by Hon Olugbemi with assistance from Senator Monsurat Sunmonu within three and half years of the first four years tenure.
“While Representatives of Oluyole at the National Assembly in the past exchanged such an opportunity for personal benefits and instead embarked on mushroom projects that add no values to the economic well being of the people of Oluyole federal constituency.
“Olomi-Olojuoro-Ijebu’gbo road was the first intercity road linking Ibadan to other towns and has been neglected for more than four decades until Senator Sumonu and Hon Olugbemi used all their connection within their reach to attract the multi billion naira project to Oluyole.
“To the glory of God, the road project is already under construction. The good people of Oluyole cannot afford to start all over again as benefits attached to the new road project are enormous starting from opening up of our hitherto rural communities to unprecedented development, boost in agriculture practice and employment opportunities for our teeming unemployed youths as well as industrialization prospects”.
Also speaking on behalf of the PDP members, Alhaji Haruna Adetunji said, the PDP has betrayed the zoning arrangement established by their forefathers in the interest of justice and fair play in Oluyole local government.
According to him, “Both candidates for both House of Representatives and House of Assembly not only picked in same zone out of the two zones but they were also picked from the same ward. This negate the principle of sharing elective positions in Oluyole.
“This sharing formular is to balance political equation, and the failure of the PDP to follow and respect this arrangement shows that they don’t know the terrain, talk less of giving good representation if voted in, thus, our support for ADC candidates”.
Thanking them for their new love and their support for Senator Monsurat Sumonu and Hon Olusumbo Olugbemi, Engr Akeem Olatunji therefore enjoined the good people of Oluyole and Oyo Central Senatorial District to ensure that the task of returning them for second term is a collective responsibility to open a new chapter of development in the history of Oluyole and Oyo Central Senatorial District and Hon Dikko Salami as Oluyole State House of Assembly member.
“The fact that Hon Olusumbo Olugbemi representing Oluyole federal constituency under the platform of ADC has not fully publicize most of his achievements which include but not limited to renovations and construction of modern classrooms in about nine schools across Oluyole Federal Constituency, massive youth training and empowerment, facilitating job opportunities for over 192 people in federal establishment, reinstatement of unduly sacked cocoa research institute staff etc.
“Because he believe that those good works will speak for themselves which is not the practice in Nigeria politics and most especially in Oluyole federal constituency, has made this silent achiever a unique personality”.
